Life Goes On
by TheFreakyGirl
Summary: Rose is left on Bad Wolf Bay with the Metacrisis Doctor, but troubles lay ahead, and the Doctor doubts Rose love for him when she acts distant. However, Rose's true feelings come to light when the Doctor is presumed dead after a Torchwood mission goes wrong. Rated K Rose/10.5


**A/N:**** Yep, another Doctor Who story, yep, it's also another 10.5/Rose one. I'm a bit unsure about how smoothly this went, maybe it seems a bit rushed? I edited it a lot, trying to make it better, but I'm still not sure how good it went. **

**The first line's pretty clear, but just in case I'll let you know that this story begins on Bad Wolf Bay, when the Doctor leaves the Metacrisis Doctor with Rose. (Personally, I think we should all get our own Metacrisis Doctor's. I mean, I wouldn't complain, would you?) **

**Also, I'm sometimes quite bad with forgetting facts, getting them wrong, ect, so please let me know if I have. I'd be really grateful. **

**Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Doctor Who, David Tennant, Billie Piper or any other actors/actresses. All rights go to their respective owners. **

**So, without further ado, here's my new story 'Life Goes On'! **

**Life Goes On**

The Doctor leaned forward, resting his hand lightly on Rose's arm. His lips were inches from her ear when he whispered the three words that would change everything.

"I love you," He pulled back, and they stared at each other for a moment before Rose grabbed his jacket lapels and pulled his body to hers, her lips finding his urgently.

She was so lost in that kiss, that wonderful kiss that made Rose practically turn to jelly, that she didn't realise the Doctor and Donna had left until she heard the TARDIS door creaking shut. She broke free from the Doctor's passionate embrace and ran forward a couple of steps, intent on at least saying _goodbye. _

But he'd gone, the real Doctor, in the real TARDIS, with Donna Noble. She watched it slowly fade from sight, as the Doctor – the _other _Doctor – stepped forward and slid his fingers between hers. She turned her gaze from where the TARDIS had been standing to look at him. She smiled sadly, before slowly releasing his hand and walking back to where her mother was on the phone to Pete.

"You'll never guess where he dropped us – bloody Norway! Yeah, we'll have to hire a car," She smiled fondly. "Oh darling, that's so sweet. But I'm worried about how much a limo would cost, for a 23 hour drive, plus the ferry. It _is _a whole other country, after all," She paused, listening intently. "Well, if you're sure…alright then. I'll see you tomorrow darling, I love you too; take care of Tony, bye!" She hung up, completely oblivious to the tension between Rose and the Doctor at that moment.

"It looks like we're travelling in luxury!" She said excitedly. "Your father's insisted that we get a nice limo. He's going to sort it all out, there'll be one waiting for us in…I can't pronounce it, but your father texted me the map, so let's go."

Jackie seemed so confident in her abilities, but the Doctor wasn't surprised when her navigation skills failed her and eventually she had to ask him for directions. It was a hint of smugness that he showed her the correct way they should be going, but instead of lecturing him she just rolled her eyes. Maybe they were actually getting somewhere.

The town that Jackie couldn't pronounce was actually called Fjord Visjon. It was a cosy small town, although the Doctor couldn't understand a word they said. It made him miss the TARDIS, because usually he could understand everything, and you'd think that after 900 years he would've learnt Norwegian.

The limo picked them up not a half hour later – apparently Pete knew people in high places. The Doctor slid in first, to find it relatively spacious. There were comfy looking seats on one side, with a big long sofa on the other. Rassilon, there was even a mini bar, stereos and small television screens placed in different places. Their driver smiled at them, greeted them and opened the door so that they could climb inside.

Usually, Rose would be shrieking in excitement, brown eyes alight. Instead, she just sat on one of the single seats and stared out of the window, resting her chin on her palm. The Doctor watched as Jackie sat in the seat next to her and took her other hand. Rose glanced back at her mother and smiled before turning back to watch the scenery pass by them. The Doctor studied her as the car started up and pulled away. The slight breeze filtering through the open window made her blonde hair sway slightly as she bit her lip. She blinked, just once, and one glistening tear fell down her cheek. The Doctor so wanted to reach over and wipe it away, or better yet, he wanted to pull her small frame into his arms and hold her tightly. He couldn't though, because she'd been through so much and she'd said it herself, _he wasn't the real Doctor. _She didn't want some half human Doctor; she wanted the real one, not him.

-:-

The driver, Lewis, pulled up at a motel for the night. Jackie ordered three rooms, one for him, one for her and a room with two single beds for the Doctor and Rose. When the Doctor asked her about it, she'd made up some excuse like they'd only had those rooms left, but the Doctor glanced at the receptionist's monitor as they left and noticed that there was in fact lots of rooms available. He grinned to himself as the four of them got in the elevator. Apparently, Jackie didn't want her daughter to be alone tonight as much as he didn't.

No one was really in the mood to go out anywhere, so Jackie invited everyone to her room, where they would order room service. The Doctor noticed that Rose barely picked at her chips once they'd arrived, she just moved them about the plate as Jackie and Lewis made easy conversation.

The Doctor learnt that Lewis had been a limo driver for 21 years, and back home in England he had a wife and three children. Later on, after a few more drinks (Jackie just shook her head when Lewis told her he shouldn't drink 'on the job') he got a bit teary and told them about how he hated being away from his family, but it was the only job he could get that meant he could afford to put food on the table. At this, Rose sat up and listened a bit more, her face a mask of empathy.

The walk back to their room was the first time the Doctor and Rose had been alone together. The journey was made in silence, but when the Doctor reached out and linked his fingers through Rose's she didn't protest. In fact, she squeezed his hand a little.

-:-

Along with the limo and the nice driver, Pete had also sent over a change of clothes, toiletries and nightwear for Jackie, Pete and even the Doctor. The Doctor - having discovered a new found politeness about him in this human body – let Rose go in the bathroom first.

The Doctor emerged from the bathroom having brushed his teeth and pulled on his pyjamas. He noted, with a smile, that they were the same design as the ones he'd worn when saving planet Earth on Christmas day from a Sycorax invasion. Rose was already tucked up in bed but she chuckled when she saw his attire and he grinned back. And just for a moment, it was like old times again, when everything was easy and they were friends. And then it was over, and Rose turned over and buried herself under her duvet.

It was the middle of the night when Rose started screaming into her pillow and thrashing about in her bed. The Doctor jumped out of bed and flew to her side, shaking her gently.

"Rose?" He asked and her brown eyes flew open. She continued to struggle for a moment, before realising it was him. The Doctor was quite taken aback when she threw her arms around his neck and actually pulled him onto the bed (although he was hardly about to protest). His arms automatically slid around her waist and he held her tightly.

"What did you dream about?" He asked quietly into her hair. It seemed to make Rose realise what she was doing and she quickly pulled back, blushing profusely.

"I-I'm sorry," She stuttered, sitting back and lying down, facing away from him. Instead of moving away from her the Doctor lifted the duvet and slid underneath it, so that he was next to her. He didn't touch her; he just lay staring at the ceiling.

"I dreamt that everyone was dying and I couldn't do anything to stop it. Mum…Dad…Tony…" She exhaled. "You," They didn't speak anymore, and slowly Rose rolled over onto her back and closed her eyes. Soon she was fast asleep and the Doctor soon followed her.

-:-

The next morning he woke up with Rose curled into his chest. She was breathing steadily and her hand was resting on his chest. The Doctor pressed his lips to her forehead and gently pulled her closer, falling back asleep again.

Rose opened her eyes and sighed contentedly as the sunlight filtering through the open curtains hit her face. There was a weight on her waist, and she looked down to see a male arm flung over her side, hand peeking out of a stripy blue pyjama sleeve. Rose slowly lifted his hand, sitting up and setting it down on the mattress where she'd been lying, before she got up and walked into the bathroom to have a shower. Once the door closed the Doctor's eyes opened and his hand tensed, begging to feel her soft skin rather than the cold texture of the mattress.

Rose reached for the shampoo and squeezed some into her hand before running it over her scalp and through her hair. She did this multiple times as the hot water ran down her face and Rose closed her eyes and thought of the Doctor. She remembered him before his regeneration, afterwards, and now the meta-crisis Doctor. She'd been so sure when the original Doctor had left them on Bad Wolf Bay that there was no way this clone could ever replace him. But spending time with him since yesterday she'd begun to think that maybe he hadn't changed that much. Actually, maybe he had changed, but it would be for the better because he seemed more human. Like the fact that he'd actually said that he'd loved her, and the real Doctor couldn't even say that to her.

Still, she just wasn't ready to give herself completely to him yet. She was so afraid that she'd wake up one day and he'd be gone. There was no way Rose could go through that again; she couldn't have her heart broken.

-:-

Neither Rose nor the Doctor mentioned anything about what had happened in the motel. Rose averted her gaze so that their eyes never met, and she avoided being alone with him. She wanted the Doctor to understand that she needed time, but instead he became increasingly unsure of her feelings for him. Rose found him a job as a Torchwood agent, and they settled into a routine, but one day the Doctor got tired of waiting for Rose to love him. It had been months since Rose had said goodbye to Donna and the other Doctor. He knew it was selfish, but the Doctor _craved _Rose. He wanted her back, he wanted her smile, her laugh, and he wanted them to be _them _again. Most desperately, the Doctor wanted to show Rose that he was the same as the original Doctor, the one she loved.

Rose was sitting in the kitchen of the Tyler mansion when the Doctor walked in and sat opposite her.

"Rose, we need to talk," He said. Immediately she tensed.

"What would you like to talk about?" She asked casually.

"You need to realise that I'm exactly the same as the Doctor," Rose said nothing. "I'm tired of waiting for you, Rose." She looked up, anger blazing in her eyes.

"Then why don't you just give up?" She demanded. "Why don't you just move on, keep travelling? It's what you want,"

"I want you!" He protested.

"What happens when you don't want me anymore? When I'm not enough for you, and you want to continue on another adventure? I mean you have the whole world to explore in a different body, so what if you get bored? I can't…I can't go through losing you again Doctor, I-I just can't. I'm sorry,"

"I can't wait forever Rose," The Doctor said, standing up. "But I can promise you that I will never get bored of you."

-:-

The Doctor did find solace in one person, Catherine, a fellow agent. She was part of his team at Torchwood, a perky young brunette. They hung out more and more, to talk over cases and sometimes just talk about them, and she made him laugh, which was something he hadn't done for a long time. The Doctor had made up a back story, with the help of Pete, his name was John Smith, he was from Manchester and he enjoyed football and fiddling about with gadgets.

One thing that the Doctor didn't realise, being as naïve in the field of relationships as he was, was that Catherine was becoming more and more attracted to the mysterious 'John Smith'. She was so attracted to him, that she didn't give a damn that he talked about Rose Tyler the majority of the time they were together. Don't get her wrong, Catherine had morals and she would never go after another girl's man, but John had told her often that Rose was just a very good friend, so she felt no shame in her lust for him.

They were in a pub, the Prince Albert, having a drink after work when everything that the Doctor had built with Rose crumbled before his very eyes.

The Doctor had found that he quite liked the taste of beer, so he ordered one of them when Catherine asked what he wanted from the bar. She ordered herself a gin and tonic and they sat in a booth near the entrance. They talked about their individual cases for a while, before the Doctor, or 'John' as Catherine knew him, moved into the rather personal topic of relationships. Again the Doctor didn't notice that she always seemed to do this, nor did he notice that she'd been trying to make him jealous by pretending to be interested in Sam, another guy in their team, he didn't even notice when she wore a darker shade of lipstick or her skirt was a couple of inches shorter.

"How's everything going with Rose?" She asked, although she didn't really care.

"I'd rather not talk about her, I feel like I talk about myself too much. What about you, you got a boyfriend?" He questioned, sipping his beer.

"No, I like someone…but they hardly notice me."

"Oh I'm sure he does, you're very attractive." He had honestly meant it as a completely innocent comment, but she didn't see it that way.

"I wish he would," Before the Doctor could even comprehend what was going on, Catherine had thrown herself at him and was kissing him with a force that he was surprised the young woman had.

-:-

Jackie walked into her daughter's office to see Rose's head bent over her work. She barely looked up when her mother opened the door.

"Wanna go to lunch?" She asked.

"I'm kinda busy right now, Mum." An alien spaceship had crash landed in the Thames again, but luckily it was a much smaller one, with only two witnesses. Still, it took a lot of clearing up on Rose's part.

"Are you too busy for a pub lunch?" She pressed.

"Can we reschedule?" Rose was still scribbling furiously across the paper.

"Nope," Rose was suddenly grabbed by the arm and dragged out of her office.

"MUM!" She screeched. "What are you doing?"

"You've been working practically non-stop for the past couple of months, so I'm taking you out to lunch,"

"A grimy pub is hardly gourmet," Rose grumbled and Jackie rolled her eyes.

"Button it,"

"Janelle, call Jack! Call Dad! Call someone! This is kidnap!" Rose called dramatically to her giggling assistant.

"I agree with Mrs. Tyler, Rose. You need some time off. Everyone needs to eat!" Janelle called after her.

Rose finally stopped struggling once they were out of the street and they just walked side by side. "So how are things going with the Doctor?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I thought you two would be in paradise right now, love birds and everything," Rose sighed.

"I don't know. I want to love him Mum, I really do. And I think I do, actually. But every time I even think about him I feel like I'm betraying the Doctor, the _real _Doctor."

"Rose, you've gotta start living your life the way the Doctor wanted you to. He left the…whatsit Doctor so that you could make him better and live a better life for him. He wanted you to be with him, and you're wasting your time feeling guilty."

"You know what, I think this little chat has been exactly what I needed," Rose grinned, linking her arm through her mother's as she pushed open the door to the Prince Albert.

"Good," Jackie replied, squeezing Rose's hand. "So what d'you fancy?"

"Oooh, just a sandwich I think," She mumbled as they entered. "Or maybe-," Rose suddenly stopped and swallowed. Jackie frowned at her as Rose muttered something about not being hungry and darting out the door.

-:-

The Doctor was so surprised that Catherine had kissed him that he didn't move. He just remained motionless as she moved her lips against his. Only a small gasp made him pull away and look around. The sight that met his eyes made his heart stop. Rose was standing in the entrance of the Prince Albert, eyes wide. She was with Jackie, who hadn't noticed him yet. He prayed to Rassilon that Rose hadn't seen the kiss with Catherine, but he knew she had. He was about to get up and say something when she said something to Jackie and ran out of the door. That was when Jackie turned round and saw him, with Catherine practically sitting in his lap. It didn't take Jackie long to guess what her daughter had seen, and then she had stormed over, eyes blazing.

"What the 'ell do you think you're doing?" She yelled.

"Who's that?" Catherine asked, still toying with his tie.

"Rose's mother,"

"Too right I am!" She glared at the Doctor. "You were supposed to wait for her, Doctor. You were supposed to make Rose better again. You were supposed to help each other!"

"Jackie I never-,"

"Rose acts so tough, but she's so vulnerable. When you left her on Bad Wolf Bay the first time, she was so _broken _and I'm sick of you hurting her over and over again. I trusted that you wouldn't do it again. She'll never forgive you Doctor."

With that Jackie Tyler reached out and slapped him – not for the first time in her life – and left.

-:-

Rose finally left her office at eleven o'clock that night. She'd gotten back to the Torchwood building and cried for over an hour before composing herself and getting back to work. She'd worked nonstop for hours, ignoring the Doctor's attempts to contact her various times throughout the afternoon, but Rose had locked her office door and refused to answer his calls. It was raining when Rose tugged on her coat and said goodbye to Mike the night guard, before stepping out into the cold night. She pulled the collar of her coat up as she turned to walk down the road.

"Rose," She stilled at the sound of the Doctor's voice and turned to face him.

"How long have you been waiting out here?"

"A few hours, I needed to talk to you."

"I don't want to see you right now, or ever again, for that matter."

"If you'd just let me explain, it was a mistake,"

"No, the mistake was that I really believed that you actually loved me,"

"I do! She kissed me!"

"Oh please, that's what every guy in the history of the Earth uses as an excuse."

"Nothing's been going on!"

"You know, you don't have to lie. It's not like you cheated on me, you can date whoever you want, but please don't treat me like an idiot."

-:-

Rose was in bed when she got a phone call from Jake at 3am. He never called her this late (or early, as the case may be) unless there was something wrong, so Rose answered immediately.

"Jake what is it?"

"Rose, it's the Doctor…" The next words he spoke, Rose didn't hear at all. His voice faded into a buzz as Rose's heart dropped into her stomach. She only acknowledged a few words like _violent species _and _tried to negotiate _and _MIA. _Missing In Action? It sounded like something to do with the army, not Torchwood. Rose's phone trembled in her hand as she bit her lip, concentrating long enough to hear the last bit of Jake's sentence.

"…They say...that there isn't a very big chance that he survived. I'm sorry, Rose."

"I-It wasn't your fault." She managed to say. "Thank you for telling me,"

An alien fleet had landed in Bristol, they were called the Mextucions, and they were a very violent and brutal race, slaughtering everyone that stood between them and what they wanted. The Doctor had taken a team and tried to negotiate peace terms with them, when he'd been kidnapped. They'd chucked him into the Thames and left, content in ruining another life. They'd searched the Thames for hours, but found no sign of him, so he'd been assumed dead.

Rose sat back against her headboard and stared into space as it sunk in. The Doctor was gone, he was really gone and he wasn't coming back and Rose hadn't even had the chance to say goodbye. Rose had told herself that she hated the Doctor after seeing him kiss that woman, but the truth was she would never hate him, she was just so head over heels in love with him that she almost couldn't believe that he'd done that to her.

They even held a funeral for him, and Rose felt sickened at the fact that they were burying an empty casket. It was her worst nightmare, what made it worse was that he wasn't even _there. _He was lost somewhere in the Thames and it didn't feel right. What must've been the entire Torchwood team attended, along with various friends and family. They all offered their condolences to her and told them how wonderful he was, and it gave Rose a slight glow inside, because that was what the Doctor did. He made everyone around him feel like they were the most fantastic person in the world, and the people that she talked to about him had only known him for a couple of months, maybe a year, and he'd already brightened their lives. Because that's what the Doctor was – had been – he'd been a shining beacon of light, pulling everyone in like a moth to a lamp. As the casket was lowered into the ground Rose kept a tight grip on both of her parent's hands, not shedding a single tear. She stepped forward and took a handful of dirt from the box, letting it fall through her fingers and listening to the small thuds as it hit the wood of the casket.

"You were everything to me, and you always will be," She whispered almost inaudibly.

It was only later, once Rose had gotten away from the crowds of people in the Tyler mansion, did she let herself go. She looked at herself in the mirror and splashed water in her face, before her face crumpled and she slid to her knees, her cries masked by the running water of the tap. Her mother found her there, and she didn't say anything, she just knelt down beside her daughter and wrapped her arms around her.

Rose didn't leave her room for days afterwards, not eating, just crying and sleeping. She locked her door and didn't speak to anyone, not even her mother. Months passed in much the same way, and Rose was given leave of absence due to grief. Every time she tried to get up she just thought of _him _and everything she'd said to him the last time Rose had spoken to them. She'd been so angry, and so hurt, and she had said things she didn't mean.

It was one day, months and months later, when Jake called her again. This time it was at 4pm in the afternoon, and Rose was still asleep. She answered the phone, her voice heavy with sleep.

"Rose, you need to go to the airport." He said. "The flight comes in at 7pm."

A little flicker of hope ignited in Rose's chest as she let a small smile cross over her face for the first time in God knows how long.

"T-thanks Jake," She whispered before hanging up.

-:-

Rose tapped her foot impatiently as she waited in the crowded airport. Flights came and went and 7pm came and went, and Rose slowly lost any faith that the Doctor would actually come back. She sat on the uncomfortable plastic seats for the whole night, refusing to fall asleep or leave. Then, at five am in the morning, one more plane landed – well, a private jet. Rose barely recognised its arrival, continuing to stare at the floor. The doors at the end of the room opened and Rose looked up to see the one man she had craved to see for over half a year. The Doctor stood there, in his glasses and his blue suit, and Rose exhaled sharply. She stopped herself from reaching up and rubbing her eyes or pinching her arm – because that would be stupid. She stood up shakily as he grinned at her, hands in his pockets. Rose took a few tentative steps forward, before sprinting towards him at full speed. He opened his arms and she happily jumped into them, muttering incomprehensibly.

"I can't believe it's you!" She said in a rushed voice. "I-I thought you were dead! Th-they said that you were missing and…" She lost the ability to speak after that, hugging him so tightly the Doctor thought he would choke. She pulled her face from his shoulder and put her hands on his cheeks.

"I can't believe you're real."

"I'm sorry, Rose, for everything. I should've been more patient, I should've realised how hard this was for you,"

"No I'm sorry, I said all those horrible things and I pushed you away." Rose ran her fingers through his hair. "I never meant-," Rose was cut off by the Doctor's lips crashing onto hers, and she welcomed him graciously, wrapping her arms around his neck and sighing happily as he deepened the kiss. He was quite disgruntled when she pulled back.

"I forgot to say something," She whispered. He raised an eyebrow. "I love you too," The Doctor chuckled as he set Rose down on her feet and kissed her again, smiling against her lips. "But if you ever nearly die again, I'll kill you myself,"

"I never will Rose, never."

-:-

"Everything you heard about me being dumped in the Thames River is true, except the Mextucions kept me on board for a few months first. They used a mental projection to implant the memory in some witnesses that they had seen me fall from the ship and into the Thames, hence the reason everyone thought I was dead. It wasn't so pleasant being on that ship, but I managed to turn their opinions around and they dropped me back off. Sadly, their Geography isn't great, so they ended up chucking me in America. I missed the flight I was supposed to get, but Pete rung me and ordered a private jet." The Doctor smiled warmly at Pete as he sat in the Tyler's living room holding a cup of tea and describing how exactly he'd been 'MIA' for seven months.

That night, the Doctor was up late reading a novel with Rose curled into him fast asleep, when Jackie came downstairs to get a glass of water.

"Doctor, can I talk to you?" She asked. He nodded and carefully moved as not to disrupt Rose.

"You're not going to slap me again, are you?" He asked in a fearful voice. Jackie smiled and shook her head.

"No, I'm not going to slap you. You've actually proven that you're good – well as close to good as you can get for my daughter. She's been with a fair few bad guys in here life, and maybe you're okay. You really love her, and I can see that," The Doctor smiled and half raised his arms.

"Can I hug you?" The Doctor asked suddenly. Jackie laughed.

"I guess you can." She said, before she grabbed his face, kissing it all over.

"Mmph," He mumbled as she pulled back.

"There, wasn't that nice?"

**A/N: So, uh, yeah. That was...it. Please review if you feel like it! **

**Also, this is just a one shot (a pretty long one, but still a one shot) and I won't be continuing it. **

**Thanks! **


End file.
